Educational Theorists

What is a Theory?

• Theories are used for building a better understanding of the teaching and learning process.

• Theory = guess or hunch• Scientific Theory=interrelated set of concepts

that are used to explain a body of data and to make predictions about the results of future experiments.

What is a Theory

• Fact or Fiction?– Principles will give you help – Theories will give you options

Theory 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3GJycgu-cs

Theory 2

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IJXsUBdl0g

Stage Theorists

• Jean Piaget 1896-1980– Famous For: described 4 different stages of

cognitive development– Implication on education: claims one cannot

master one level before completing the previous.

Piaget’s Stage TheoryAge Period Characteristics

0-2 Sensori-motor Infants learns to differentiate between itself and other objects within its environment, learning the difference between ‘me’ and ‘not me’.

2-4 Pre-operational thought The child is still very egocentric, but now classifies objects in simple ways – particularly by individual important features.

4-7 Intuitive The child now classifies things more generally, but is not aware of the classes that he or she uses.

7-11 Concrete operations Here, the child can use logical operations, such as reversal, deliberate classifications and serialization.

11-15 Formal Operations Now things become more conceptual as the child is able to think in terms of abstract ideas.

Stage Theorists

• Sigmund Freud 1856-1939– Famous For: 5-stages of psychosexual

development

– Implication on education: believes if one stage is not mastered growth will stop.

Freud’s Psychosexual TheoryAge Name Pleasure Source Conflict

0-2 Oral Mouth: sucking, biting, swallowing Weaning away from mother’s breast

2-4 Anal Anus: defecating or retaining feces Toilet training

4-5 Phallic Genitals Males seek out parent of opposite sex to feel substantiated.

6-Puberty Latency Sexual urges sublimated into sports and hobbies. Same-sex friends also help avoid sexual feelings

Puberty onward Genital Physical sexual changes reawaken repressed needs. Direct sexual feelings towards others lead to sexual gratification

Social Rules

Stage Theorists

• Erik Erikson 1902 -1994– Famous For: Developed Psychosocial Theory,

stages where individuals are faced with choices and must resolve the crisis to successfully move on to the next.

– Implications for Education: explanation for individuals success and failures throughout life.

Erikson’s Developmental Stage Theory

Level Name Characteristic

Stage 1 Trust vs. Mistrust (infant)

A child will only learn trust if its mother meets the child’s deep need for attention and affection.

Stage 2 Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt (age 3)

If the exploring child receives encouragement in a search for autonomy, the child will learn trust, otherwise they learn shame and doubt.

Stage 3 Initiative vs. Guilt (age 4)

If the questioning child is encouraged in their ideas and games, the child will gain confidence or otherwise feel guilty about initiating things.

Stage 4 Industry vs. Authority (at school)

If encouraged and praised by teachers, the child will increase efforts to learn. If always criticized, the child will learn to feel inferior.

Stage 5 Identity vs. role confusion (age 12)

If the child’s identity has been reinforced up to puberty, the child will handle it well. If not, there is a frightening identity crisis.

Stage 6 Intimacy vs. Isolation (middle age)

Identity crises may occur later in life if people cannot or do not relate to others.

Learning & Motivation Theories

• Behaviorism• Information Processing• Social Cognitive Theory

Learning and Motivation Theories

Behaviorism: • Focuses on things that can be observed, classified into a general

category.• Influenced by 2 environmental factors:

– Those that precede it (antecedents) and those that follow it (consequences).

– A-B-C Model: Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence• Important Concepts

– Conditioning, reinforcement, punishment and cueing.• Who is involved:

– B.F. Skinner• Implications for Education:

– learn through our actions and consequences, operant conditioning

• Operant Conditioning

• http://youtu.be/qy_mIEnnlF4

Learning & Motivation Theories

Information Processing• Theories that focus on attention, types of memory, how

knowledge is represented and stored, forgetting, and the cognitive systems.

• Important Concepts:– Attention, perception, working memory, long-term memory,

and types of knowledge.• Who is involved:– Jean Piaget

• Implications for Education: – Identifies our ability to store and recall knowledge.

Learning & Motivation Theories

Social Cognitive Theory• Combines behavioral concerns with consequences and cognitive

interests in thinking.• Important Concepts:

– Interactions among behavior, environment, and personal characteristics; beliefs about personal capabilities; learning through observation and modes; and guiding your own learning through self-regulation.

• Who is Involved:– Albert Bandura

• Implications for Education:– Addresses our motivations for specific behaviors, why we make certain

decisions

Behaviorism: Classical Conditioning

• Association of automatic responses with new stimuli.

• Little Albert: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xt0ucxOrPQE

• Recreate a scenario with your group to demonstrate how classical conditioning works.

Behaviorism: Operant Conditioning

• Learning in which voluntary behavior is strengthened or weakened by antecedents (before) or consequences (after).

• Pavlovs Dog: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OLdb9Vh10E

• Recreate a scenario with your group to demonstrate how operant conditioning works.

Information Processing

Information Processing: Sensory Memory

• Sensory Memory: system that holds sensory information very briefly.

• Draw the picture from the previous slide.

Information Processing: Working Memory

• The information that you are focusing on at a given moment.

• Each student needs to stand up and state their name. Once everyone is finished record them in the order they were said.

Social Cognitive Theory: Self-Efficacy

• A person’s sense of being able to deal effectively with a particular task. Beliefs about personal competence in a particular situation.

• On your note paper, identify one thing you feel you do very well and one thing you feel you are not able to do from experience.

Social Cognitive Theory: Self-Regulation

• Process of activating and sustaining thoughts, behaviors, and emotions in order to reach goals.

• Record your answers to the questions on the next page.

Self-Regulation Quiz• Think about the class you are taking right now. On a 7-point scale –

from 1 = not at all true of me, to 7 = very true of me – answer the following questions.

1. When I study for a test, I try to put together the information from class and from the book.

2. When I do homework, I try to remember what the teacher said in class so I can answer the questions correctly.

3. I know I will be able to learn the material for this class.4. I expect to do well in this class.5. I ask myself questions to make sure I know the material I have been

studying.6. Even when study materials are dull and uninteresting, I keep working

until I finish.